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PUNCHING one police officer, spitting on another and subjecting them to a tirade of abuse outside Warwick Hospital has earned a woman a string of convictions.

Charmaine Robyn Brown was sentenced in the Warwick Magistrates Court yesterday to 12 months jail - with immediate parole - after a recent incident which took place she voluntarily discharged herself from the hospital.

The court heard Brown, 38, had attended the hospital believing she was having heart problems, but was abusive to staff through the night when they tried to do her observations.

She demanded to be discharged and hospital staff summoned police after she left about 7.45am because of her behaviour, with officers finding Brown near the hospital bus stop.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Steve de Lissa told the court Brown became aggressive towards the officers and at one point punched a female officer in the abdomen and spat on the trouser leg of another.

She also delivered an expletive-laden series of threats, saying she would "smash" the officers if she ran into them while they were doing their shopping.

Brown was later charged at the watchhouse with the serious assault of a police officer, obstructing police and public nuisance.

Brown's counsel, Daniel Habermann, said his client had a history of anxiety and depression and was upset at being repeatedly woken up during her night in the high-dependency ward.

In sentencing Brown, Magistrate Graham Lee said health professionals and police had the right to expect to carry out their duties with being physically and verbally abused.